2013 Grand Prix Final, Senior Men

by Alexandra Stevenson

Hanyu Shakes up Skating Status Quo, World Champion Suffers a Setback

1. SP 99.84 (54.52+45.32)
Yazuru Hanyu,
Japan, who turns 18 on December 7, got an early birthday present.
Having qualified for this Final by earning silver in Skate Canada and
Trophee Bompard in Paris, in both cases behind
Patrick Chan, his current first place came as quite a shock. He
not only got the jump on the three-time World
Champion, he took away one of the Canadian’s world records. He lies
a huge 12.37 points ahead of Chan going into the Free. It has to be
years since Chan was this far behind a fellow competitor.

Hanyu, who won the bronze medal in the 2012 World
championship, was skating on the Sendai rink when the
earthquake hit that northern Japanese city in 2011. He
now trains with twice Olympic silver medalist,
Brian Orser in Canada. He said, “First
of all, I am totally surprised about the score I got. For my
performance, I think I did a good performance starting with the quad
and also my Axel and (triple) Lutz were good as well. However, for
the steps and spins, towards the end of my performance, I think I
lacked a little bit of concentration so that is the part I regret.
Today, what I felt is that I wanted to put all my effort into my
jumps, spins and steps. I was able to enjoy my performance today.”

“I was very surprised to get the
record score. I wasn’t thinking about doing a perfect
program. I just did what I can do now. I practiced hard
and I think this connected to my good performance today.
There is still tomorrow. I was satisfied with my score
today, so I hope to retain my energy for tomorrow as
well. There are more elements tomorrow so I hope to get
even more points. I need to skate my best.”

Skating fourth of the six
qualifiers, to “Parisian Walkways” by Gary Moore, Hanyu
opened with a quad toe loop, which was so dazzling, it
earned six +3s, the maximum Grade of Execution, and +2,
the next highest level, from the other six judges. He
earned another +3, (along with seven +2s and one measly
+1) for his next move, a Level 4 flying camel spin. Then
came another Level 4 spin with received seven +2s and
two +1s.

At the halfway mark where the
10% bonus for jumps clicks in, he soared through a
triple Axel, getting rewarded with four +3s
and the rest of the judges punched in
+2. His combination of triple Lutz to triple toe loop got one +3,
seven +2s and a solitary +1. His straight line steps received six
+3s and two +2s. Exhausted from all this, his final move, a change
foot combination spin was “only” Level 3 with only one +2, four +1s
and four zeros, which are given for a move which is satisfactory in
all aspects.

He even received one maximum 10 for
the component marks which went down to one 7.75. He
revealed he had never had such scores before. Orser, who
always, very obviously, skates along with his pupils in
the Kiss ‘n Cry, area, went bananas as the total score
was posted.

2. SP 87.47 (42.79+44.68) Patrick Chan,
Canada, who turns 23 on New Year’s Eve, is the three-time and
reigning world champion. He won both his Grand Prix events (beating
Hanyu in both). In Paris he scored record high marks for all three
categories, SP, FS & overall, but now holds only two. He has won the
Grand Prix Final three times before.

Skating last, to Rachmaninov’s
“Elegy”, Chan began well with a splendid combination of
quad and triple toe loops, which earned three +3s and
six +2s. But then he collapsed on his triple Axel, which
he was only just able to save from becoming a fall. His
change foot camel spin was the maximum Level 4, earning
two +3s and the rest +2s. But then, he doubled his
planned triple Lutz, scoring only 1.41 for the move. His
flying sit spin, straight line steps and final change
foot combination spin were all Level 4, with the
straight line steps earning five +3s, three +2s and a
+1. He readily admitted, “I am not super happy with how
I skated. When you achieve close to perfection, like I
did in Paris, to do it again is hard. It hurts even more
when you don’t do it, so I am upset. Tomorrow is a new
day, where the long program is, where it’s won, we will
see.” His component marks usually earn some tens, but
not this performance. They went down to one 8.25, but
there were four 9.50 amidst the 45 awards.

3. SP 80.94 (41.76+40.18
-1) Nobunari Oda,
Japan, skated first. The 26-year old replaced
Daisuke Takahashi, who injured his
right leg and was forced to pull out. Oda lies third despite falling
on his opening move, a quad toe loop which got an arrow for slight
under-rotation. He recovered well, landing a
triple Axel, which earned a full two points over its base value. His
combination of triple Lutz to triple toe loop got an “e” for wrong
take-off edge and lost a small -0.20.

All three spins received the maximum
Level 4 with good GoEs. The steps were Level 3 with
+0.83. His components topped with six 8.50s and went
down to one 7.25. He said, “I was nervous and I fell on
my first jump and after that I felt like I woke up. I
wanted to skate well in front of the Japanese audience
and the more I thought of that, it made me nervous. I
cannot take back what I fell on, so I hope to land it in
my free skate.”

He said the fall was caused by
nerves. “After that, I felt like I woke up. I wanted to
skate well in from of the Japanese audience, and the
more I thought of that, the more nervous I got. I can
not take back my fall. My condition was good but, today,
I couldn’t smile with my heart. I was happy with the
audience. I hope to connect more with them tomorrow.”

4. SP 77.75 (39.82+38.93
-1) Han Yan, China,
opened his routine, set to “Minor Waltz” and “Viper’s Drag” with a
good triple Axel, which earned two full points over its base value
of 8.50. But then the 17-year old fell on his fully rotated quad toe
loop, which was to have been his combination. He later added a
double toe loop to make a combination with his triple Lutz. His
three spins and the steps were all Level 3, but with good GoEs. He
said, “Since the Cup of China, I have not been in top shape.”

5. SP 68.92 (31.42+38.50 -1) Maxim Kovtun,
Russia, an 18-year-old who earned the right to skate in this event
by gaining second place in both the Cup of China, and his own
country’s GP, skated a Flamenco routine. He got credit for his
opening quad Salchow but messed up the landing. Then he fell on his
quad toe loop which was meant to be his combination. And then he
singled his triple Axel.

He was able to get good GoEs for his four
other moves, with Level 4s for two of his spins. His third spin, a
change foot sit, and his steps got Level 3. He said, “I know what I
was supposed to do out there. I just could not do it. I was very
nervous and I do not know why it turned out like this today. I think
tomorrow will go a lot better. Today, my quads did not go as I
planned. I have to be more careful about the entries.”

6. SP 65.66 (26.52+40.14 -1) Taksuki Machida,
Japan, who is 23, won the 2013 Hilton Honors Skate
America and the Rostelcom Cup in Moscow, but with
collectively, less points than Chan. He said he was
embarrassed by his performance, for which he presented a
routine choreographed to “East of Eden”. He doubled his
planned quad toe loop, but did a super triple Axel, for
which one judge was moved to give the maximum +3 GoE.
But his triple Lutz to double toe loop got no marks at
all. His one mark deduction was not for a fall, but for
going overtime. He said he hoped people would watch him
tomorrow. “I’ve been skating for twenty years and I want
everyone to enjoy my skating. I will do better tomorrow.
I wanted to do a perfect performance, but this
performance wasn’t to be.”

Lying second (by a large gap of 12.37 points) after the Short Program
meant the 22-year-old Chan skated before the
18-year-old survivor of the Sendai earthquake, Yuzuru Hanyu,
who is coming up to his 19th
birthday. Chan knew it would be a hard fight. Last
year, when this event was in Sochi, serving as a try
out for the new Olympic “Iceberg Skating Palace”, he
was only third behind two Japanese competitors,
former world champion,
Daisuke Takahashi and Hanyu.

Chan took gold in the previous
two GP Finals. He explained, “I felt nervous even
before I got on the ice. It was a mental battle. You
are not going to win all the time. If you did, it
would be boring for everyone. Part of me says
(losing) is not a big deal. It happens. You deal
with it. What is important is regaining my composure
and my concentration. But, of course, the Olympics
being so close is a definite factor.

Chan denied being disappointed. “I finished the
event strong. There were a lot of good things I did
here, including regaining my composure and
concentration after a bad Short Program and putting
out a great long that I don't usually do.” He added
with a smile, “That's not very Patrick Chan of me!
Most of the time, I think the people who know me
well, know that the short program has always saved
me. But this was proof today that I'm getting better
and really becoming a more well-rounded competitor.

"The last two times I competed here was for the
World Team Trophy, and I really haven't skated well
at any single one of those in Japan, just because
it's at the end of the season. Every time I come
back to Japan I feel like I relive those moments in
which I didn't skate my best. Those were really
tough times. That's why I think I learned a lot
today."

When Chan, who earned gold the
six consecutive times in the Canadian championship,
soared through the first jump in his opening
combination, a quad toe, it looked as if he was on
track. However, Chan executed only a double instead
of triple toe loop as his second jump. With the
triple toe, the base level for the combination is
14.40. With a double toe loop the base value is
11.60. Right away he’d thrown away 2.80 points, and
that is the name of the game nowadays, the
accumulation of tenths of a point under very strict
restrictions as to what and how many elements can be
done.

Chan’s second element was a
second quad toe loop, base value 10.30, and he did
it so well, four of the judges gave him the maximum
+3 Grade of Execution while four others punched in
+2 and one +1. Collectively, that meant Chan was
given 2.43 over the base value. He seemed back on
track.

A triple Axel
earned its base value of 8.50 plus the +1.71 GoE.
His step sequence was the maximum Level 4 and eight
of the nine judges gave +3 and one +2. Since the top
and bottom marks are thrown out, it is not possible
to earn more for this element, and he banked a total
of 6.0. His next move was a Level 4 flying sit spin,
which received three +3s, five +2s and one +1 from
the judges, and resulted in a total score of 4.14.

At the halfway
point, where the 10% bonus for jumps clicks in
(because it is much harder to do them when you have
used up all your stored oxygen) he brought off a
+1.20 triple Lutz to loop to triple Salchow, which
provided him with a total of 12.97 points. A second
triple Lutz earned a total of 7.40; a triple loop
was rewarded with 6.61; and a triple flip to double
toe loop resulted in 8.26 added to his account. His
change foot camel spin was the maximum Level 4 and
received unanimous +2s, which earned him 4.20. His
final jump, a double Axel, was rewarded with one +3,
seven +2s and one solitary +1. The top and bottom
were thrown out, and he received a total of 4.63.
The “choreographed” was awarded six +3, but has only
Level 1 and he earned +1.90 GoE over the base value
of 2.0. He concluded with a change foot combination
spin which was only Level 3, and the Grades of
Execution included three -1s, so he banked only 2.91
for this move.

In the five
component marks, the judges did support Chan, giving
him 3.10 marks ahead of Hanyu. Chan claims, “I get
more satisfaction from skating a good program than I
do from a gold medal.” But he also says that Japan
brings out the doubt in him.

Hanyu skated to
“Romeo & Juliet”. He was third in the 2012 world
championship and fourth in that event earlier this
year. In Hanyu’s two Grand Prix events, in the
series of six competitions around the world which
are to pick the six entries for this event, Hanyu
placed second to Chan in Skate Canada and in the
Trophy Bompard.

Hanyu says his
progress is largely due to his coach,
Brian Orser.
Orser, a twice Canadian Olympic silver medalist, who
knows all about the up-and-downs of this sport. He
is still remembered for his close battle in 1988 in
Calgary with Brian Boitano. Orser explained, “No one ever
goes out to be second. I never did and I know my
skaters would never go to a competition for the
silver medal. We all go there to become first.
That's what you have to do and, for Hanyu, it’s a
realistic goal.”

Hanyu did not
start well, falling on his first move, a quad
Salchow, but he did the full four revolutions and
earned 7.50 minus a point for the fall. From then
on, he was a whirling dervish. He received three +3s
and six +2s for his second element, a quad toe loop,
and then a full point over the base value of a
triple flip. One judge gave Hanyu’s next four
elements +3: the Level 3 straight line steps, Level
4 flying camel combination spin, his triple Axel to
triple toe loop combination and a second triple
Axel, this one combined with a double toe loop. Four
other judges also agreed that his triple Axel to
triple toe loop combination was worthy of the
ultimate +3 Grade of Execution.

Hanyu continued
to shin with a triple loop, a triple Lutz combined
with a single loop and a triple Salchow, and a
triple Lutz. His choreographed received four more
+3s, four +2s and a +1. The following flying camel
spin was Level 4, but his last move, another spin,
was only Level 1. (Like Chan, he’d obviously run out
of steam in the final moments of the routine.

“I wasn’t completely satisfied
with the long program,” the lad revealingly
admitted. “But after falling on the quad, I was able
to pull myself together and complete all my other
jumps and that was HUGE. I feel I am meeting all the
requirements. We still have the national
championships, but obviously I am feeling pretty
confident that I will make the Olympic team.”

3. Overall 255.96;
3.SP 80.94 (41.94+40.18 -1); 3.FS 175.02
(91.58+84.44 -1); Nobunari Oda,
who was a late substitute for last season’s Grand
Prix champion, Daisuke Takahashi, who was injured,
earned bronze. Oda is the 26 year old father of two
sons with wife, Mayu, (born October 1, 2010 &
January 5, 2013). Although he fell on his opening
move, a quad toe loop, he immediately brought off a
second version of that jump combined with a triple
toe loop, which earned him an impressive 16.26
points.